For us, Bobbi Brown is first and foremost an excellent skincare and makeup brand. That held true until we accidentally discovered this season’s delightful surprise: A perfume that owns this summer without even trying, carrying a scent of joy and optimism in a bottle. Beach by Bobbi looks innocent, smells simple, and yet manages to be one of the most precise summer fragrances ever made. A cocktail of post-beach shower, jasmine, citrus, a splash of sea salt, and sweet traces of nostalgic sunscreen. Not heavy, not trying too hard, beautiful, calm, and clean – simply perfect.
Bobbi Brown, Beach – NIS 350 for 50 ml
Some brands don’t feel the need to apologize for being luxurious, and Xerjoff, the niche fragrance brand, is one of them. Even when it’s just deodorant, they insist it be as close as possible to a real perfume – and it works pretty well. The deodorant series comes in elegant, gas-free containers, in scents matching the brand's well-known perfumes, and feels like a small dose of oligarchy in the most basic action of the day. You can look at the excessive price in two ways: On one hand, it's the average price of no less than five basic deodorants;
On the other hand, it's the quality of a niche fragrance that costs at least five times more and smells accordingly: Clean, sophisticated, with notable presence and surprising longevity. The available scents: Erba Pura – sweet and fruity, 40 Knots – dry and elegant, and our favorite, Renaissance – citrusy, fresh, clean, and classic. This isn’t a deodorant meant to sweat through your workout with you, but to accompany you on a day when you want to smell great even without putting on perfume. Expensive? Very. Unnecessary? Maybe. Indulgent and addictive? Absolutely.
Xerjoff deodorant series – NIS 160 for 100 ml
Our go-to for the morning, for at least the next two months, is the new GinZing by Origins, a thoughtful cream that checks off everything we need for that tough part of the day. It has a light and moisturizing texture that spreads wonderfully, an optimistic ginseng scent that helps us crawl out of bed, and a respectable SPF we won’t leave the house without. The bonus – it functions like an espresso. One swipe gives a “we’ve started” feeling along with a gentle and beautiful glow effect that sits well even under makeup, giving the face a nice and healthy finish.
Origins, GinZing SPF 30 – NIS 175 for 50 ml
We're still not over the dramatic branding upgrade from Sebocalm, and now their new sun product line is also being put to the test, packaged (as expected) in shades of orange. Our favorite is the lotion, with a relatively fluid texture, suitable even for skin that, with the arrival of summer, hates anything you layer on and sweats out every unnecessary product. It's relatively light, tries to control shine (though not always successfully), leaves the skin moist, and provides high protection that was tested under particularly intense sun. Suitable for babies from six months old and water-resistant – though it’s always recommended to reapply after every dip.
Sebocalm, Sun Protect Lotion – NIS 120 for 50 ml
For those who like their sun protection with a dose of nostalgia – Dr. Fischer offers a kid's stick with SPF 50+, simple to use, hypoallergenic, suitable for the eye area, and water-resistant. If we may add – it reduces screams and resistance during application. Note that the embarrassing white marks are still present even in stick form, along with the potential to scar the tender soul you’re raising at home – so invest an extra second in a careful application. Overall, when it comes to sun protection, we have a special fondness for the kids’ products, so there’s a good chance we’ll be stealing it for ourselves. As for the melon scent – it's always, always open for debate.
Dr. Fischer, Ultrasol Kids Protection Stick – NIS 56
With a few years of fashionable delay, the brand PUPA also joins the sun stick revolution that changed our lives forever. It’s minimalist, transparent, and invisible, especially suited for delicate areas like around the eyes, the sides of the nose, and the lip line – places that tend to be neglected during application. Pro tip – it’s not shiny and works well even over makeup. For ocean lovers – the formula is clean, eco-conscious, and free of microplastics.
PUPA, Invisible Sun Stick SPF 50+ – NIS 89
How will we ever look our lips in the mirror again after all these years of denying them sun protection? We applied SPF on our faces, hands, hair, kids – but sent our lips off to hunt for fillers to smooth them out. Then along came Blistex with SPF 50 to set things right. This lip balm is an efficient, humble worker that doesn't try to be pretty, luxurious, or exciting – it just does the job: Provides lasting moisture, doesn’t smear at the edges, has no scent or color, and most importantly – gives high sun protection at a tiny price. If you prefer your lip balms less neutral and more flavored, you can try mint, coconut, or strawberry (which comes with a subtle red tint), in the equivalent version from Dr. Fischer (NIS 30).
Blistex ULTRA SPF 50 – NIS 16
